The Conversations in the SUV
by NatesMama
Summary: A series of short one-shots, centered on Booth and Brennan and what happens when they're all alone in the SUV.
1. She Walks In Beauty

This is a new series of snippets centered on Booth and Brennan and what happens when they're alone in the SUV. This series was inspired by Skole Bone, who thought it would be a great idea for me to keep writing them in this situation. So if this sucks, blame her. :)

These do not follow any specific timeline, and in some of them Booth and Brennan will be together, and in others they will still be "just partners". Enjoy, and have a very Happy 2011!

~NM

* * *

_She walks in beauty, like the night  
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;  
And all that's best of dark and bright  
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;  
Thus mellowed to that tender light  
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.  
~Lord Byron_

She Walks In Beauty

"I don't know why you're so angry. I was simply stating the facts." Brennan shifted in her seat slightly, uncomfortable with the anger radiating off of Booth as he guided the SUV along the busy DC streets.

"I know that, Bones. But…you just can't point out to someone in casual conversation that their breast implants were implanted crooked!"

"But they were horribly disproportionate, Booth. That poor woman should be calling a lawyer, not hitting on you while you were trying to interrogate her." Brennan faced out her window, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrows knitted.

Booth grinned, sneaking a glance at Brennan's profile. "Ah. Now we get to the heart of the matter."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." She refused to look at him, knowing he was wearing that infuriating smirk he always got when he thought he knew something incriminating.

Clicking his tongue, Booth shook his head. "Uh uh, Bones. You know I'm not letting you get away with that. It _bothered you_ that she was checking me out!"

"I don't care about that, Booth. Women look at you all the time, if that bothered me I'm sure I would be clinically insane by now."

Booth shook his head. "Wow, Bones. You're getting better at that whole 'deflect uncomfortable conversations with a compliment' thing. I'm impressed."

Brennan finally turned to face him. "I learned from the best."

Sighing, Booth decided to let it go. "So, where is this doctor's office located?"

"Bethesda." Brennan replied, flipping through her notes.

Booth snickered.

"What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing."

"Booth…"

"Nothing! Really. It's just…the way you say 'Bethesda' makes me laugh. That's all."

"What are you talking about? There is nothing unusual about the way I say the word 'Bethesda'"

"I know, Bones." Booth held back another snort. "It's just…it's hard to explain. Sorry."

"You're so strange sometimes."

"Hello, kettle? It's me, Temperance Brennan. You're black."

Brennan sighed. "I don't think I will ever truly understand you, Booth."

He grinned. "But that's part of my charm, right?"

This time, Brennan snickered.

"Hey! I am very charming!"

Brennan leaned across the seats and planted a kiss on a shocked Booth. "You most certainly are."


	2. I Love You

_I love you. It's not a weight you must carry around.  
I love you. It's not a box that holds you in.  
I love you. It's not a standard you have to bear.  
I love you. It's not a sacrifice I make.  
I love you. It's not a pedestal you are frozen upon.  
I love you. It's not an expectation of perfection.  
I love you. It's not my life's whole purpose - or yours either.  
I love you. It's not to make you change.  
I love you. It's not even to make you love me.  
I love you. It's as pure and simple as that.  
~Anonymous_

I Love You

"Hey Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure you can, I've seen you do it."

Sigh. "May I ask you a question?"

"Absolutely. But you might want to unclench your jaw first."

"Never mind."

"Bones…"

"Booth…"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to tease you. It's okay; just ask me whatever it is you want to ask me."

"Are you quite certain that you're finished?"

"Yes, ma'am." Grin firmly in place. Placating.

More huffed breaths, even more irritated this time.

"I'm kidding, Bones. Seriously. Go ahead. Ask me anything you want, anything at all."

"Why do you love me?"

He saw this coming a mile away. Ten miles away, even. Her self-consciousness practically lights up the room, especially late at night, when it's just the two of them and there's nothing between them, including clothes. Being with her has turned out to be harder than he imagined, and yet it's made her _softer._ She's a kick-ass forensic anthropologist, afraid of nothing and no one…except what they're building together. She wants it…them. He knows this, she's told him over and over. But undoing the damage done by countless selfish men, not one of whom ever bothered to see the real Temperance Brennan, has been a task Booth never expected, but is more than ready for.

So her question doesn't surprise him. And hopefully his answer doesn't confuse her.

"Bones, I just do."

The simplicity of the answer should frustrate her. Her world, wrapped up in science and proof and rationality has never been so cut and dried. Nothing between her and Booth has ever been that easy. But then…she looks at him sideways, as he returns the look, out of the corner of his eye as he continues to watch the road. And she knows.

Sometimes, love is that simple. And she accepts what he offers her, with no regrets.

And she smiles.


	3. We Wear The Mask

_We wear the mask that grins and lies,  
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-  
This debt we pay to human guile;  
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,  
And mouth with myriad subtleties.  
~_Paul Laurence Dunbar

We Wear The Mask

"So, how was dinner with your dad last night?" Booth rolled his window down a bit, letting the light breeze wash away the slight weariness he had been feeling on and off since Hannah had moved out six weeks previous. He'd had plenty of support, especially from his partner, but he was still having trouble adjusting to living a life, once again, alone.

"It was nice, actually." Brennan turned slightly in her seat to face him. "Dad is learning how to cook vegan for Hailey because Amy read some studies suggesting that eliminating animal products from her diet would aid in managing her illness. He actually made a tofu stew that was really very good."

"Sounds perfectly disgustingly healthy, Bones. How was the conversation?"

She made a non-committal noise and turned to the window again.

"Bones? Hey…what happened?"

Shaking her head, Brennan kept her eyes sideways, watching the scenery pass. "Nothing, really. Just my dad, trying to insinuate himself into my personal life. As always."

Wondering if it was a bad idea, but not being able to stop himself, Booth had to ask. "What about your personal life? Because you've done pretty well in that department all on your own, he knows that."

Brennan finally turned to look at him. "Thanks, Booth."

"Welcome, Bones." He threw his full-on charm smile at her, actually feeling the sentiment behind it for the first time in weeks.

"Anyhow, he thinks I should be…I don't know, married? Have children by now? He thinks I'm alone." Holding her hand towards him to stop him from answering, Brennan continued. "I know, I told him that I'm not alone, that I have plenty of friends who care about me, but to be honest…I think he just misses my mom, and remembers what that was like and he wants that for me. He talked about her a lot last night."

"Yeah. I'll bet he does miss her." Booth continued to look at the road, eyes determinedly forward.

Despite what most people thought about her, Brennan wasn't completely oblivious. Especially when it came to Booth. She knew he had been struggling since he and Hannah had ended things, but she wasn't entirely sure why, and she was afraid to ask. She simply let him talk when he needed to, and pretended to miss the other signs, when it looked like he wasn't in the mood to chat.

"Are you okay, Booth? I'm sorry if-"

"No, Bones. I'm fine, really. Not the same situations in any way, shape or form…believe me." He glanced her way again, not smiling as widely, but not looking as troubled, either. "I am not sad about Hannah anymore, alright? Only nice memories, I promise."

Relieved, Brennan nodded. "Okay. I'm glad. I don't like seeing you sad."

"I know that." He glanced at her again. "Thanks."

There was another moment of introspective silence between them, but unlike the stilted quiet they had gotten used to in the last six months, this one was comfortable…comforting. That simple peacefulness that envelopes you when you're with someone who knows you so well, who understands and accepts you so completely that words are not always needed.

After about half an hour, Booth finally decided to break their stalemate. In every sense of the word. "Bones, did you have plans this weekend?"

Pulled out of her reverie, Brennan took a moment to answer. "Um, no. I had planned on writing a little, but I'm not feeling terribly inspired. Why, do you have Parker this weekend? Does he want to go swimming?"

Surprisingly touched that her first thoughts were of his son, Booth shook his head. "No, Parker is spending the weekend with Rebecca and her parents in Virginia. Actually…" He gave her a sidelong glance, gauging her mood. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in going out to dinner Friday night."

Brennan sucked in an unobtrusive breath, surprised by her immediate and very positive reaction to Booth's invitation. _Alright, Temperance…no need to get excited. He's probably looking for a quick diner meal and a movie. A partner thing. _Looking over at him, she realized that his knuckles were white and his breathing was shallow. _He's nervous,_ she realized. _Definitely not a 'just partners' reaction._

"You mean…like, partners? Or…"

"Or. The other option." Booth huffed out a breath and shook his head. "I'm not doing this the way I wanted to."

"No, no…I understand." She smiled inwardly and turned towards him fully. "Okay, that sounds nice. Where would you like to go?"

"Really?" He squeaked. "I-" He cleared his suddenly dry throat. "I mean, that's great. I was thinking you might want to try that new sushi place on 4th."

"I'd like that. What time would you like to pick me up?"

"You know this is a date, right?"

She laughed softly. "I thought you were so much smoother than this, Booth. What happened to the guy with the flashy belt buckle?"

Booth looked over at her quickly, and then looked back at the road. "This is me completely out of my element, Bones. I've never…I mean, you're just so…dammit. Here's the thing, I'm a little nervous because I was afraid you wouldn't want to go out with me. That you'd changed your mind again, and didn't want…"

"You? Don't be silly. Of course I want you."

The grin that crossed his face was both comforting to her and a little sexy as well. She squirmed in her seat slightly, and then returned his smile.

"But the next meal, I pick the place."

"Another meal, huh? Was there somewhere else you had in mind?"

"Yes."

"Bones…if you don't want to go for sushi, we can just-"

"I was thinking my kitchen. Saturday morning. Breakfast?" She raises an eyebrow, willing him to understand.

There was that grin again. "Sounds perfect, Bones."


	4. Dedication

I write the finis here against my love,  
This is my love's last epitaph and tomb.  
Here the road forks, and I  
Go my way, far from yours.  
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Dedication

"Booth, we have to talk about this."

A sigh. "I know, Bones. I know. I just…"

"I'm actually quite pleasantly surprised by your behavior."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get all upset. I just mean that I thought I was supposed to be the one who didn't like to talk about feelings and love and all of that…"

"It's not that, believe me."

"Then what is it? It's not because you're worried I'm going to run off for another dig, are you?"

A beat of silence, too long.

"Booth…"

"Bones, it's okay. It's not something you can fix; I just need to work through it, that's all."

"I don't accept that. There must be something I can say, something I can do…"

"This is, literally, one of those clichéd moments where it really isn't you, it's me. You've done nothing wrong, Bones. Nothing. I'm just a little off kilter. This is just as new for me as it is for you."

"But…you've been in a committed relationship before, Booth. Rebecca, Tessa, Cam, Hannah…you know how it works."

"What do all those women have in common, Bones?"

"Well, except for Cam they're all blonde….I honestly don't know what they all have in common."

"I'm no longer with them. We broke up. Every single one of those relationships failed."

"Yes, that is true. And if we're being honest, I am happy of that."

"Well…"

"Are you saying that you're not, Booth?"

"No! But, really…at the time, I wasn't glad that those relationships ended. I don't like the idea of being happy about that."

"Alright. I suppose I understand that. I wasn't happy when Sully and I ended things."

"See? That's good, Bones. You should be sad when a good relationship ends. Sully is a good guy and he loved you. Not that I'm not glad it didn't work out…."

A smile. "I know."

"I think, like I said before, good people leave a mark. We pick up small and large parts of those around us, and they end up becoming a real part of us. We should never regret knowing the people we've been with."

"And I don't. Not even Michael, and he turned out to be a…"

"Selfish, jealous jackass?"

"Mmm. That's a succinct way to put it, yes."

"I am just readjusting my view of how things are between us, that's all it is. For years, _years_ Bones…I have been pretty much waiting for this to happen, and now that it has I'm a little thrown."

"I told you I was sorry about that, Booth. I never imagined someone your size would go flying off the bed in a moment of unrestrained passion, especially since I am smaller-"

"No, Bones." A smile. "Thrown, emotionally. Not physically."

"Ah. Got it."

"You have a steep learning curve, mine…not so much. I just need a few days to accept the fact that…"

"I'm not going to run?"

"Yeah."

A sideways glance, then…"Are _you_ going to run?"

"Bones. You know me better than anyone. Do you really think I'm going to up and hightail it to Bora Bora just because of a little emotional upheaval? I'm not going anywhere, Bones. Never again, and certainly not without you."

"I knew that, but sometimes…I need to hear it."

"Sometimes I need to say it, I know. I'm in this, Bones. Don't ever doubt that. And you know that I love you, right?"

"I do."

"And I know that you love me. And that you're not going anywhere either."

"Yes."

"So…"

"So…?"

"What the hell am I worried about again?"

"I haven't a clue, Booth."

A smile. "Me either, Bones."

"Lunch? Diner?"

"Diner for lunch it is."


End file.
